Explore 4 Wine Club: The Greatest HIts

Our Explore 4 Wine Club is a curated journey through the world of wine, delivered four bottles at a time. Each month, we spotlight a unique theme—whether a wine region, grape variety, or style—bringing you wines that exemplify the best of that theme. Every shipment includes a detailed tasting booklet, packed with regional insights, stories of the vineyards, and expert tasting notes. It’s wine education and enjoyment in perfect balance.

Designed for both curious connoisseurs and adventurous novices, Explore 4 gives you the tools to truly understand what you’re drinking. Each bottle becomes an opportunity to explore terroir, climate, and winemaking philosophy while expanding your palate. With SommSelect, you don’t just taste wine—you experience it.

Whether you’re exploring wines from Burgundy, the Loire Valley, or volcanic islands, or comparing Old World and New World styles, Explore 4 turns every glass into a lesson in flavor, tradition, and discovery. It’s the ultimate subscription for anyone looking to drink like a sommelier at home. Interested in gifting this membership? Visit our gifting page to explore our prepaid options!

What truly sets the Explore 4 Club apart is the level of intention behind every selection. Each wine is carefully tasted, evaluated, and discussed by our team to ensure it represents an exceptional expression of its region, grape, or style. Finding wines of this caliber takes time—often months of sourcing, tasting, and vetting producers—to make sure every bottle earns its place in the lineup.

That dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed. Our wine club has been recognized as a top pick by publications like The New York Times, Vogue, Brides, and Food & Wine Magazine—a testament to the care and expertise behind every shipment.

Scouring the globe for standout wines is no small task. With countless regions, styles, varietals, and producers to consider, identifying wines that truly capture a theme requires both deep knowledge and thoughtful curation. It’s a challenge we embrace, driven by the belief that great wine tells a story—and that story deserves to be told well.

Below, we take a look back at some of our favorite Explore 4 themes from past selections, offering a glimpse into the kinds of journeys members can expect.

The Judgement of Paris - December 2025

We explore the historic 1976 tasting that changed wine forever. Taste iconic California and French wines side by side.

we step back in time with a selection that brings to life the legendary 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting. Featuring a classic White Burgundy and a vibrant California Chardonnay, paired alongside a revered Bordeaux red and a bold Napa Valley blend. Each bottle captures the spirit and style of that historic showdown, inviting you to experience the elegance, complexity, and rivalry that still define these iconic regions today.

The 1976 Judgment of Paris was a landmark blind wine tasting event held on May 24, 1976, in Paris, that pitted top-quality California wines from Napa Valley against prestigious French wines—Burgundy whites (Chardonnays) and Bordeaux reds (Cabernet Sauvignons)—with the judging panel composed of nine esteemed French wine professionals and critics. The results were shocking and transformative: the topranking
wines in both categories were from California, overturning the long-held belief that France exclusively produced the world’s best wines. The Judgment of Paris elevated the reputation of California wines globally and demonstrated that New World wines could compete on equal footing with Old World benchmarks.

The California red wines in the 1976 Judgment of Paris consisted of top Cabernet Sauvignon wines from notable Napa Valley and surrounding regions. These California wines exhibited ripe, fruit-forward profiles with softer tannins and more upfront richness compared to the more structured and traditionally earthy French Bordeaux entrants. Upstart California was the ultimate winner with Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 S.L.V. Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, taking top place in the red category.

The Judgment of Paris was a watershed moment that propelled Napa Valley and California onto the international wine stage as producers of world-class Cabernet Sauvignon, challenging French dominance and changing perceptions forever

Classic Rock - December 2025

We explore the historic 1976 tasting that changed wine forever. Taste iconic California and French wines side by side.

Vineyard soil composition dramatically shapes wine quality and style by controlling water
availability, nutrient supply, temperature around the roots, and overall vine vigor. These in turn shape ripeness, concentration, and balance. Slate soils, common in regions like Germany’s Mosel, excel at heat retention and drainage, producing wines with high acidity, pronounced minerality, and concentrated aromatics. Clay soils, like the ones throughout the Loire, offer moisture retention and cooler temperatures, resulting in full‑bodied, structured wines with robust tannins. The gravelly loam in Alexander Valley,
blends drainage and fertility, yielding balanced, complex wines appreciated for their versatility. Volcanic soils, rich in minerals, impart unique flavors and distinctive, bold profiles, notably in regions like Etna and Sonoma.

Art of the Blend - November 2025

Blending is both science and art. These wines show how multiple varietals create harmony and depth.

Discover the artistry behind the world’s most celebrated wine blends. From Bordeaux’s classic harmony to the bold innovation of Super Tuscans, this curated selection showcases the unique character and craftsmanship that blending brings, offering complexity, balance, and a truly global tasting journey.

Blending has long defined the art of fine winemaking, bringing together different grape varieties to achieve balance, structure, and complexity. Bordeaux set the classic model, pairing Cabernet Sauvignon’s strength and tannin with Merlot’s supple fruit and charm, while Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec add nuance. Napa Valley reimagined this tradition with ripeness and intensity, producing bold, fruit-driven reds that maintain Bordeaux’s harmony in a sun-drenched style. In Rioja, Tempranillo joins Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano to balance elegance and longevity, yielding wines that age gracefully. Tuscany’s Super Tuscans turned tradition on its head, blending native Sangiovese with Cabernet and Merlot to create wines of modern power and international
acclaim. From France to California and beyond, blending remains a defi ning craft—one that transforms individual varietal character into a seamless expression of place,
heritage, and innovation.

Burgundy Basics - August 2025

Learn the essentials of Burgundy’s villages, vineyards, and grapes. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay take center stage.

Burgundy, one of the world’s most iconic and diverse wine regions, is located in eastern France and spans several notable subregions. Chablis, furthest north, is famed for its crisp, mineraldriven Chardonnay, thanks to its cool climate and Kimmeridgian soils. Moving south, Côte Chalonnaise is where you’ll find Pinot Noirs of structure, complexity, and aging potential. The Mâconnais, benefitting from a warmer, southern climate offers light, fruit-driven Pinot Noirsexceptional values for everyday drinking. Farthest south (and yes, technically still part of Burgundy), we have Beaujolais, known for Gamay-based
reds in fresh, vibrant styles distinct from the Pinot Noir dominating the rest of Burgundy. These regions are just a glimpse of the complex terroir and grape diversity that Burgundy has to offer.

Burgundy is a narrow north-south strip in eastern France, characterized by limestone-based soils formed from an ancient seabed, which include marl and clay deposits. This varied geology explains the many distinct sub-regions and terroirs. Overall, the region has a continental climate with cold winters and warm, relatively dry summers. Microclimates favor grape ripening on the sun-exposed eastern and southeastern slopes, while the cooler fl atlands around villages struggle with ripening and the risk of frost. Production is focused on Chardonnay in the North and Pinot Noir and Gamay in the south with central regions producing premier reds and whites based on soil variation and slope orientation.

Loire Valley - March 2025

Explore the Loire through Muscadet, Chenin Blanc, and Cabernet Franc. Discover the river valley’s diversity and elegance.

The first thing you may notice is that this pack doesn’t include a Sancerre, or any other Sauvignon Blanc—Loire Valley’s most-famous export. Well, as is often the case with “Explore 4,” we’re tackling a topic that isn’t neatly summarized with four wines. Our assumption, hopefully correct, is that you know Sancerre already and want to find out what else the Loire Valley has going on. After Sauvignon Blanc, the region is best known for Chenin Blanc, which, in our opinion, may be the most versatile white variety in the world. Then there’s Mélon de Bourgogne (a.k.a. Muscadet), and, on the red side, Cabernet Franc—two varieties enjoying skyrocketing popularity, especially among sommeliers.

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at 47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy). Despite its vast surface area, the Loire ranks third among French wine regions in total production, although it does contain the most AOP-designated vineyards for white wine. Given its northern latitude, it is correctly described
as a cool climate, feeling a maritime influence in its western reaches and turning more “continental” further inland.

Nebbiolo Celebration - November 2024

Celebrate the noble Nebbiolo grape of Barolo and Barbaresco. Experience tannin, structure, and delicate aromatics.

Italy’s Piedmont region is really a wine “nation” unto itself, producing world-class renditions of every type of wine imaginable: red, white, sparkling, sweet…you name it! However, many wine lovers fixate on the region’s most famous appellations—Barolo and Barbaresco—and the inimitable native red that powers these wines: Nebbiolo. Beyond Nebbiolo, this mountainous region is home to an unrivaled trove of delicious alternatives. There are many distinctive grape varieties that grow only in Piedmont, making it a region ripe for exploration. This month, we do just that!

Piedmontese wine production is substantial and diverse. The region has more officially delimited wine appellations (Denominazioni di Origine Controllata, or DOCs) than any other in Italy—including the largest number of appellations (18) appended with a “G,” for Garantita (“Guaranteed”). The most famous DOCG-designated wines are the long-aging wines of the Barolo and Barbaresco growing zones, which flank the town of Alba
in the southeast. Barolo, Barbaresco, and other reds made from the Nebbiolo grape have outsized reputations, yet the variety is hardly ubiquitous. Nebbiolo represents about 10% of all grape plantings in Piedmont, while two varieties it often grows alongside, Barbera (31%) and Dolcetto (13%), cover more surface area.*

Wines of Portugal - June 2025

Portugal offers vibrant reds, refreshing whites, and iconic fortified wines. Taste unique varietals and regional expression.

Portugal is an exhilarating adventure to taste through. Not only does it boast over 250 native grape varieties, it’s also home to impossibly breathtaking landscapes and remarkably diverse growing regions and micro-climates. Although winemaking here has been steeped in tradition for generations, there’s a smattering of newly emerging practices that are adding a modern swagger, resulting in wines of distinction, purpose and styles rarely found elsewhere. From crisp, refreshing Vinho Verde whites to deep, robust and spicy reds from Dão and Alentejo, Portuguese wines provide endless opportunities to discover new grapes, aromas, flavors and an incredibly rich winemaking heritage.

Portugal’s wine landscape offers a tapestry of terroirs, distinctive grape varieties and a myriad of inspired wine styles that have cemented its status as one of the most dynamic wine-producing countries on the planet. Our exploration together this month is just the tip of the iceberg, highlighting just a few key grapes, regions and styles that are essential to the study and enjoyment of Portuguese wines as they exist today. Regions like (1) Vinho Verde, in the lush, rain-soaked northwest, famed for its light, refreshing whites of high acidity and subtle effervescence; (2) Bucelas, near Lisbon, most notable for its Arinto grape, producing mineral-driven and surprisingly ageworthy white wines (3) Dão, further inland, sheltered by mountains and rich with granite soils that yield structured, aromatic reds from indigenous varietals like Tourgia Nacional and Tinto Roriz (4) Alentejo, in the sun-drenched south, known for its robust, silky reds and aromatic whites and blessed with varied soils, a warm climate and eight different subregions that contribute to its broad stylistic range.

All Things Abruzzo - September 2024

Explore Abruzzo’s hidden gems, from Montepulciano reds to Trebbiano whites. Discover Italy’s diverse and approachable wines.

When it comes to wine, the southern Italian region of Abruzzo, whose western border is about 50 miles from Rome, is comparable in some ways to France’s Languedoc: It isn’t considered a top destination for the wine cognoscenti, but, when it comes to the consistency, affordability, and pure pleasure of its wines, it’s tough (if not impossible) to beat.

In years past, Abruzzo (like the Languedoc) was derided as a “wine lake,” and commercial production was indeed dominated by large cooperative wineries producing the two signature regional specialties, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo (white) and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (red). But a much more nuanced picture of the Abruzzo region, and Abruzzese wine, is coming into focus, as we learn more about the region’s natural gifts and under-regarded native varieties.

Luckily, what hasn’t changed is the value-for-dollar—Abruzzo is the source of some of the best Italian wine bargains around, as quality climbs ever higher. Enjoy this month’s selections!

Most official sources rank Abruzzo sixth among the 20 Italian regions in total wine production. It usually finds itself neck-and-neck with (and often ahead of) Tuscany, even though Tuscany has nearly twice the vineyard acreage—so yes, Abruzzo is a prolific region. Its signature grape variety, Montepulciano, accounts for 57% of all vineyard acreage within Abruzzo and is the second most-planted red variety in Italy after Sangiovese.

Abruzzo has two “regional” DOC designations which
cover the majority of the wine produced in there. A wine labeled “Trebbiano d’Abruzzo” can be made from Trebbiano grapes grown anywhere in the region; same for Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. But with Montepulciano especially, we’ve begun to see the emergence of more geographically specific “sub-zones,” including Controguerra (near the region’s border with Marche) and Colline Teramane (the hills around Teramo).

All Eyes on Oregon - April 2022

Oregon shines with elegant Pinot Noir and crisp whites. Learn how climate and terroir shape these Pacific Northwest wines.

SommSelect subscribers are fed a steady diet of Oregon Pinot Noir, because it’s one of the greatest value propositions in wine. But, after a recent visit to Willamette Valley, we realized: Pinot Noir is the big story, but it’s not the only story. Oregon does many things extremely well, which is why we devoted another Explore 4 to its wines. From Chardonnays that make perfect “Burgundian” counterparts to the Pinots, to Cabernet Francs that rival the greats of the Loire, we are all-in on Oregon.

Oregon wines enjoy outsized reputations with consumers and the press, especially when considering the state’s relatively small wine industry. Although the number of wineries in Oregon has practically tripled since 2000, total vineyard plantings in the state total roughly 38,000 acres, compared to 60,000 in Washington and 620,000 in California.

It will surprise no one to learn that Pinot Noir is Oregon’s most-planted wine-grape variety by a wide margin, accounting for 59% of all planted acreage. Our focus in this edition of Explore 4 is on some of the other historically important varieties in Oregon, along with some others that are currently on the rise.

Gamay All Day - July 2025

Gamay delivers juicy, light reds perfect for any occasion. Explore this versatile and food-friendly grape.

Gamay is one of the wine world’s most dynamic and expressive grapes, celebrated for its luminous red fruit, vibrant acidity, and sheer versatility at the table. Far from simple, top Gamay—from Beaujolais crus to Oregon and California upstarts—offers layers of florals, spice, and mineral nuance that rival Pinot Noir, but with a joyful, energetic edge. SommSelect is spotlighting Gamay this month because it embodies everything we love: terroir transparency, food-pairing brilliance, supreme value and the ability to surprise and delight even the most seasoned wine lover.

The Gamay grape variety is best known for producing fresh, fruity, and approachable wines with vibrant acidity and red berry aromas. Over 75% of the world’s Gamay is grown in Beaujolais, where it thrives in the region’s granitic soils producing a range of styles from exuberantly fruity and easy-drinking to more structured, complex,
and age-worthy examples. Gamay has also found notable success in areas of the United States, such as Santa Barbara, California and Willamette Valley, Oregon where the cool climate and diverse soils produce fruit-forward wines with bright acidity and peppery, spice-driven aromatics

The New Douro - March 2023

Discover modern Douro wines beyond Port. Rich reds and elegant whites showcase the region’s potential.

During a wine tour of Portugal last year, a producer told me something unforgettable about the climate of the Douro Valley: “Here we have nine months of winter and three months of hell.” And although we have featured Portugal in a previous edition of the Explore 4, I was compelled to zero in more closely on the Douro Valley after seeing it up close. It is the most spectacular wine-growing region I have ever visited.

This region is most famous for Ports—sweet, fortified wines that are no longer very fashionable— but one of the biggest stories in wine right now is the Douro’s pivot to dry table wines, both red and white. Here are four favorites, culled from countless options. Douro table wines are the “growth stocks” of the moment. Enjoy! — David Lynch

Many tourists have traversed the Douro Valley, perhaps not realizing that this cavernous, terraced, UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered the first “protected region of origin” in the world. Historically, vintners floated their produce downriver to merchant-shippers (most of them British) in Oporto, the coastal city which eventually lent its name to the region’s famous fortified wines. The Douro winds its way across Portugal from east to west, and along the way, centuries of painstaking manual vineyard work becomes strikingly evident—in the form of steep-sloping vineyards arrayed on stone terraces. There are nearly a half million acres of vineyards planted here (about as much as the entire state of California), accounting for 22% of all Portuguese wine produced.*

Coastal Whites - July 2021

Cool coastal climates produce crisp, mineral-driven whites. Taste wines shaped by ocean breezes and fog.

A collection of brisk, refreshing whites isn’t just seasonally appropriate: It’s a reminder that the concept of terroir is about more than soil. “Terroir” refers to the “total natural environment” of a grapevine, and how that environment shapes the character of grapes and wines. Wines sourced from coastal vineyards are exceptional communicators of terroir: In the same way that a day at the beach leaves a salty residue on your skin, so it is for wine grapes grown near a coastline, whether that coast is Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Aegean…start pulling corks and you’ll see (or rather, taste) what we mean!

Of the four coastal regions featured here, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine is probably the farthest from the actual coast. But the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, 40 miles to the west, is still keenly felt. The Sèvre and Maine are two tributaries of France’s Loire River that converge near Nantes, a historic port town in the Brittany region. “Muscadet” is the regional descriptor for wines made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, not just in the “Sèvre et Maine” but in other delimited areas of the western Loire Valley. The Pays Nantais, as Muscadet country is known, is a cool climate, with Atlantic currents funneled inland via the Loire River. Brittany is world-famous for its seafood, and there’s no more classic pairing for a Muscadet white than a big plateau of freshly shucked oysters. Few wine/food combinations are as iconic.

Cru Beaujolais - September 2021

Explore Beaujolais’ ten crus, each with unique personality. Gamay shines in vibrant, structured wines.

Beaujolais is where it’s at right now: A meteoric rise in quality, coupled with affordable
pricing, is a winning formula for a region once overlooked by “serious” wine drinkers. Located at the southern end of France’s Burgundy region, where Pinot Noir cedes the stage to Gamay, Beaujolais is no longer defined by fruitjuicy nouveau wines that are bottled the minute they’re done fermenting. The focus today is on wines from 10 villages, known as crus, whose vineyards are deemed superior—and whose wines rival their Pinot Noir cousins in sophistication.

The dynamism of Cru Beaujolais owes to several factors: Relative to the rest of Burgundy, its vineyard land remains under-valued, which has led to an influx of young, ambitious vignerons looking to make a little corner of the wine world their own. It’s also, thanks to a precedent set by a previous generation, on the leading edge of organic/ biodynamic viticulture and natural winemaking. When Cru Beaujolais is the subject, talk inevitably turns to the “Gang of Four,” a group of producers who championed traditional, chemical-free winemaking: Guy Breton, Jean-Paul Thévenet, Jean Foillard, and Marcel Lapierre. All were disciples of winemaker/author Jules Chauvet, whose books are credited with inspiring the modern “natural wine” movement.

Italy vs the World - March 2024

Compare Italian wines to global styles. Understand differences in grapes, climate, and winemaking philosophy.

Although Italy boasts the largest assortment of indigenous wine grapes in the world—including many cultivars that are found in a single province and nowhere else—Italian vintners are also well-versed in big-name “international” varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Think of this assortment as a riff on the “Judgement of Paris,” with Italy standing in for the US as the challenger to France—with whom the varieties in this selection are most readily associated.
Not surprisingly, Italy acquits itself well on the international stage. We hope you enjoy this month’s selections!

If one were to name the “Big Five” wine grapes of the world, it would be Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir for reds (with Grenache and Syrah receiving honorable mentions) and Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for whites. But while all these varieties are found throughout Italy, they hardly dominate the wine landscape. Italy is famous for its unparalleled collection of indigenous grape varieties.

According to the Italian Ministry of Forestry and Agriculture (MIPAAF), there are more than 600 “registered” wine grape varieties cultivated across Italy. Yet despite this viticultural diversity, the Big Five make their presence felt. It may come as a surprise to some that Merlot is the third most-planted red grape in Italy, while, on the white side, Chardonnay ranks fourth.

Sicily & Sardinia - July 2023

Sicily and Sardinia offer bold reds and aromatic whites. Explore island terroir and indigenous grape varieties.

Here we go again, tackling big subjects: This month’s selection is a dip of the toe into the Mediterranean Sea, whose two largest islands produce some magical
wines. Sicily and Sardinia are perhaps better described as continents rather than regions of Italy. Both islands were treated as “breadbaskets” by the Roman Empire, and, in more modern times, they were known more for bulk wines than fine wines. But today, Sicily is arguably the most dynamic wine region in Italy. Sardinia, despite its famously insular culture and remote location, is not too far behind. The natural gifts here are too plentiful not to produce great wine.

Viticulture on Sicily and Sardinia has long been characterized by grand scale: Even historic wines like Sicilian Marsala, once as sought-after and respected as Spanish Sherry, became “industrial” products in the post-WWII era. Both islands became dominated by large cooperative wineries, which were subsidized by the Italian government as a way of stabilizing the agricultural economy. Many of these cooperatives still exist, but their focus has mostly shifted to higher quality and lower quantity. Whereas Sicily was once the largest wine-producing region in Italy, it now ranks fourth, behind Veneto, Puglia, and Emilia-Romagna. Sardinia, meanwhile, ranks 14th. While there’s still plenty of bulk wine produced here, so too are many world-class bottles from noble native grapes.

Alterna Sparklers - November 2022

Sparkling wine isn’t just Champagne. Taste alternative styles from around the world, each with unique character.

You’ve heard it before: “All Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is Champagne.” That’s from the French Champagne Houses and their marketing departments, in response to producers around the world affixing the word “Champagne” to labels. Champagne is a specific place, in northern France, where the world’s most
famous sparkling wines are made—its producers want their “brand” to belong only to them, and justifiably so. But there are many great sparkling wines made elsewhere—and many are crafted in the same way as Champagne but cost much less. This month, we taste some delicious alternative sparklers for lovers of classy bubbles and great value.

While no one will challenge France’s Champagne region for sparkling wine supremacy, there are strong contenders the world over. Let’s start with wines that are produced in the same manner as Champagne (second fermentation in the bottle; extended aging on lees before release), but in a different place, often with different grape varieties:

Willamette Valley - April 2022

Willamette Valley is Oregon’s Pinot Noir heartland. Discover elegance, acidity, and the region’s signature freshness.

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French Burgundies. Today, the Willamette Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed. They can do it all!

Conventional wisdom on the Willamette Valley is that it is on the same latitude as Burgundy in France. Technically, Salem, OR is around the 45th parallel, while Beaune, in Burgundy, is at the 47th. And while they both feature “sedimentary” soils, Burgundy’s are dominated by limestone (fossilized sea shells), while Oregon’s contain volcanic basalt, loam, and silt. Both are cool climates, although Oregon’s is considered “maritime” while Burgundy’s is “continental.” Situated 50 miles inland from the Pacific, Willamette Valley is largely protected from ocean currents, although there are gaps in the Coast Range where they tunnel through, most notably the Van Duzer Corridor, which runs from the coast into Salem.

California Cool - October 2021

Cool-climate California wines focus on balance and vibrancy. Taste reds and whites shaped by coastal influence.

What characterizes “cool-climate” wines? As their makers will tell you, it’s balance. Ripe fruit, yes, but also bright acidity, which cooler weather (and longer growing seasons) help preserve. As the planet warms, viticulture is expanding to places once considered
too “marginal” to ripen wine grapes. This month, we venture to some of California’s coolest spots in search of wines that capture the elusive combination of freshness and maturity that is such a badge of honor in wine today. Balance is more than a buzzword, as you’re about to taste.

In the 1940s, researchers at University of California, Davis developed a system for classifying California’s wine growing climates. Known as the “Winkler Scale,” it divided the state into five zones sectioned by mean temperatures during the growing season. Their calculations were based on the number of “degree days'' in each region, i.e., the sum of average monthly temperatures above 50 degrees from April through October. In California, most of the regions that landed on the lower end of the Winkler Scale (regions I & II), were arrayed along the Pacific coastline. As we’ve learned over the years, “climate” is much more than just average temperatures, but committed cool-hunters still start there.

The Explore 4

As we look back on these past Explore 4 selections, we’re reminded of the incredible breadth and depth of the wine world. From historic tastings and classic regions to hidden gems and innovative blends, each theme has offered a chance to taste, learn, and connect with the stories behind the wines.

We look forward to many more journeys like these, with new regions to explore, new varietals to discover, and new flavors to savor. With Explore 4, the adventure is always just a pour away, and the next chapter is waiting to be uncorked.